Seat-back-cushion construction.



' E. C. NIEHAUSER.

SEAT BACK CUSHION CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED 0CT.24, 1914.

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E. C. NIEHAUSER.

SEAT BACK CUSHION CONSTRUCTION. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 24. 19:4.

Patented Dec. 7, 1915. I

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L UMBIA FLANOGRAPH CO.,WA5HXNGTON, n.c.

EDWARD C. NIEHAUSER, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR '10 TUFTING MACHINE SUPPLY COMPANY, 013 DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

SEAT-BACK-CUSHION CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 7, 1915.

Application filed. October 24,1914. Serial No. 868,371.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, EDWA D C. Nrn rrAUsER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, county of lVayne, State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and use ful Improvement in Seat-Back-Cushion Construction, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as-will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a mold for and a method of making complete seat-back cushions.

Heretofore it has been customary to fill the cushion only up to the top row of buttons. The leather covering and the burlap hacking have been left loose above the first row of buttons and the completion of the upholstering has been done by the backhanger when the seat-back cushion has been placed in the car. Inasmuch as the finishing of the upholstering of the seat-back cushion and the hanging of it in the car requires skilled labor, this has been a. very expensive part of the manufacture of the seat-back cushion. I purpose to eliminate this skilled labor and thereby reduce the expense of manufacture and installation by making the seat-back cushion complete in the tufting mold. a

In the drawings,Figure 1, is a plan view of the mold without the follow-board. Fig. 2, is a plan view of the mold with the fol low-board and a seat-back cushion in place. Fig. 3, is a cross-section on the line A-A of Fig. 2. Fig. l, is a perspective of a completed seat-back cushion viewed from the rear.

It is customary at the present time to make the seat-cushion with extensions at the ends to form the sides of the seat-back or arms. I purpose to make the seat-back cushion in three sections, one being the central or main section, while the other two are the smaller side sections which form the arms of the seat-back. However, as the same general principle of operation governs both in the mold and in the method of manufacture, it will be sufficient to describe the mold for and the method of manufacture of the main or central cushion section.

a designates the mold which is provided with a concavity shaped to form the front face of the seat-back cushion and which has a high wall at one side to form the top of the seat-back cushion which is ordinarily called the roll. The button holders are indicated at 7). These hold the twopronged buttons shown in Fig. 3. The front covering 0 is first punched or cut to provide the holes through which the buttons protrude. The covering is spread in the concavity of the mold and the tufting operator arranges the folds or tufts and pulls the prongs of the buttons through the holes made in the. covering. The filling material, which is indicated at d and ordinarily comprises curled halr, is then put in place and scattered about in the mold in the proportions found necessary to produce the different thicknesses of the seat-back cushion desired. The burlap backing c is first tacked to a trimming rail 7 which is curved as shown in Fig. 4 to accord with the curvature of the seatback cushion at the top. This trimming rail is provided with a pair of hooks g. These hooks g are provided with perforations through which a winged screw 7L may fasten the hooks g to the uprights i of the follow-board 7' by engaging with the threads of the metal socket piece 71. The function of these hooks and screws is to provide a fastening device by which the upper trimming rail may be supported upon the follow-board in the mold. However, I do not limit myself to any particular means of fastening the trimming rail or the mold to the follow-board. The trimming rail is held somewhat spaced from the high wall of the mold to allow of the formation of the roll.

The follow-board comes down over the burlap e which is pierced by the prongs of the buttons which protrude through the holes 76 in the follow-board. Pressure may be brought upon the follow-board for compressing the curled-hair filler material and when in this compressed condition a washer .2? may be slipped over the prongs of the buttons and the prongs bent over the burlap, same as shown at the right of Fig. 3.

The trimming rail 7 really becomes part of the follow-board and compresses the fillermaterial adjacent the top of the cushion. When in this compressed condition the top edge of the front covering 0 may be brought over the filler material and tacked to the top of the trimming rail While the trimming rail is still in the mold. The burlap and the front covering can be gathered together at the bottom of the cushion and turned over the slat Z and tacked thereto, as shown in Fig. 3, while the cushion isstill in the mold.

The pins m, m and the lugs n, n are guiding devices for insuring the follow-board always assuming a definite relation with respect to the concavity in the mold When it is forced downward.

What I claim is:

1. The method of making seat-back cushions, comprising the spreading of the front covering over the concavity in the mold allowing the top edge to extend over the wall that forms the cushion roll, the arranging of the plaits in the covering, theplaeing of the button connections through the coveri g, the spreading of the filler material over the covering, the placing of the backing over the filler material together with the trimming rail to Which the backing is secured, the simultaneous holding of the trimming rail in its proper position with respect to the pro- ;posed top of the cushion and applying pressure over the complete cushion below the trimming rail to mold the same, and during the maintenance of such pressure fastening. the buttonconnections over the backing through which they have been passed and bringing the extended top edge of said front covering over the trimming rail and tacking it to the same, while such pressure is still maintained, and further securing the backing and covering together at other points.

2. A seat-back cushion mold, having in combination, a mold member provided with a concavity to fit the front of the cushion, and a follower provided with overhanging 40 portions at one side having means for carrying the trimming rail in such a position that the trimming rail supplements the pressing surface of the follower.

3. A seat-back cushion mold, having in 4 combination, a lower mold member provided with a curved wall at one side shaped to give the curved contour to the roll at the top of the seat-back cushion, and a follower guided above the mold and arranged to be spaced from the said curved wall to allow the roll of the seat-back cushion to be free of the pressure exerted by the follower, and having means for carrying the trimming rail with one face exposed for tacking yet exerting pressure on such trimming rail.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD C. NIEHAUSER. Witnesses:

CAssrE M. FAY, STUART C. BARNES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

- Washington, D. C. 

